Being a hero is not always the easy choice
by death's mark38
Summary: This is my first one-shot on a alternate ending to the Sasuke Retrieval and what happens to Naruto after. SO I really hope you guys like and tell me what you think. *Also grammar and spelling not the best you have been warned*


Hello this is simply my very first one-shot which I really hope you guys like and enjoy XD.

_**Heroes...are not always the easy choice.**_

Talking: "Hello."

Thinking: _"Hello."_

Other: **"Hello."**

**3.**

**2.**

**1.**

**0.**

**begin:**

Naruto Uzumaki stood in his hospital room his entire body was covered from head to toe in bandages bruises and cuts under neath each one that was double layered. Being most of his body the young ninja looked to the window by his bed and sighed, content was in his eyes though those deep blue eyes showed more than that. They always did no matter how hard he tried to smile of laugh to goof around, those smiles always had no effect that his dull eyes gave.

Naruto turned to the mirror to see himself, the frown that spread across his face soon turned to a scowl. Not for how he was so hurt not for his rescue mission going good but ended up breaking his friends legs. No it was the more obvious one of when he reached and grabbed the cloth of his shirt at his stomach, it was that he had known would cause the most grief.

Sakura had about kissed him seeing Kakashi and him carry a beaten and out cold Sasuke Uchiha to the village. It was a sight he wouldn't forget his smile returned as well as the sad toned look in his eyes. His memories looked back to the conversation of the night before the one with a particular Toad Sage.

_"Kid...you and me both know that the chance of you staying here..."_

_"I know...its just..hard to think about."_

_"Hey, heroes dont get to make the most choices kid its just up to how they deal with it that makes them how they are."_

Naruto had hated how he had used that word on him it was the one word he had hoped not to here. Hero, like he was ever going to be one. His entire life was that of being feared for the demon, hated for what it did, and mistaken for it.

"Hero my ass..."

Naruto mumbled as he sat up rubbing a tired eye he soon tossed his legs to the side and slid to the floor. With a small thud of his feet he winced at that sudden pain in his chest and shoulders but shook it off. Going to the window slowly with a small limp he leaned on the opened glass and sighed breathing a bit heavy.

_"I will come back when your all patched up...when I do I have to know if your up for this kid?"_

Naruto's hands clenched into fists as he looked down the sun was setting and visiting hours would soon be up. Ino had come by once as well as Kiba's family and Hinata with Shikamaru's and Choji's parents. All had congratulated him and wished him well but than left to their own accord to their family's and friends. The thought of that he had not seen Sakura since he had been placed in the hospital, she was probably with sasuke.

Kakashi had dropped by and slipped him a bottle of small sake as a gift of his first large mission on a team like theirs and succeeded. It was heart warming gesture from the masked Ninja. At that Naruto laughed softly as he got a better look at the village as the lights started to turn on and the light of the sun soon became bleak from the great wall of the village gates.

_"If you leave kid, I don't think you will ever come back but if you don't. They will know how hard you fought for this place.."_

Naruto's head leaned against the thin glass and looked down and blinked a bit in surprise as he saw a familiar pink haired Konochi. His lips curved into a frown as he looked away and saw the small sake bottle. He looked back for a second and saw the girl looking up not at him but another window it figured as much. Limping his way to the counter using the wall as leverage he got the bottle of sake and uncapped it with a pop. Slowly leaning back and pouring some of the liquid into his mouth and swallowing.

He sighed in honesty it tasted like a mint it slightly burned at his throat as he smiled and nodded. "Not bad Kakashi sensei...no wonder lee loves the stuff.." He said calmly and rubbed his arm at the sudden chill in the air.

Turning around and feeling a bit more energy of his warm stomach he walked forward and opened his hospital door and looked around and seeing no one his fox like smirk appeared.

"Bingo."

Walking out with a small stride of a limp in his step he walked through the hallways and turned right heading to the court yard his hand to the wall as he tried to balance himself. Passing a few doors he finally got to one he remembered it was Neji's room with a knock he slowly entered the bottle of sake still in hand he smiled seeing the Hyuuga barley awake.

"N-Naruto?"

The boy asked curious and slightly tired as he blinked his bed was covered in white sheets that had gotten the Hyuuga to be still. Naruto waved and chuckled as he held the bottle up. "Hear I got it from Kakashi I thought you might want some? A drink for completing the mission." Naruto said with a bit of enthusiasm that caused the Hyuuga prodigy to smile and nod.

With that Naruto poured the Hyuuga a drink lifting his head up to help with a murmur of a sigh he nodded and smirked. "Thank you Naruto." He said Naruto could of seen the prodigy bowing for the drink he only clapped him on the shoulder. "Don-" Naruto realized his mistake as the Hyuuga flinched in pain causing Naruto to hold his mouth from laughing as he started to back up.

"So sorry Neji-San...Pff ha." Naruto quickly closed the door and sighed as he giggled to himself and started his walk. Every one else he saw was either asleep or did not want the drink. It was fine as Naruto took small sips here and there as he finally got to the open courtyard and sat down at a bench and looked at the water pound filled with coy fish.

He smirked and leaned back he was going to miss this, the freedom to be hurt and go around joking with friends after a mission well done. To smell the pine filled air of the forest and that of the shops of food and different trades. It was almost overwhelming thinking of not returning to this place, to never set foot here on its ground.

To always run till he was able to defend it from the men that wanted the very beings that where like him. Hosts of demons their cages..it was almost easy at first to admit. To run off and train it sounded simple but years from now he knew oh he knew how rough it could be.

Leaning forward his eyes stung slightly as he drank a bit more sake and wiped the small tears away with his arm soaking a bit of the medical fabric.

"Naruto?'

His head would of flopped off if not attached at the speed his head turned around at. That or the pain would be the same as he winced and growled putting a arm to a cut up back neck with his hand. "Son of a -agh that hurt." Naruto moaned as a Sakura walked forward and sighed and sat down not noticing the sake she placed a hand where his neck was.

"Stay still.."

Calmly her voice soothed the moaning teen as he nodded with a quick feel of numbness Naruto looked over seeing Sakura's chakra green and healing his neck a slowly. _"When did she learn medical ninjutsu like the rest of the docs.." _Naruto thought curiously as Sakura finshed sighing with a smile.

"There you go all better. Sorry to make you react like that.." Sakura mumbled as Naruto rubbed the numb part of his neck and smiled, "Its alright I think you got it fixed so..yeah." His other hand moved and made the half empty bottle of sake clank against the wood bench as Sakura looked down in surprise.

"Is that sake?!"

Sakura asked in almost out rage at the fact he was drinking Naruto sweat dropped and held up his hands, "Hey hey dont get mad at me it was a gift from sensei for the mission." Sakura eyes flashed in surprise before the saddened as she looked away causing the blonde to blink. Even in this sort of condition he was in if he was doing something like this he would get pummeled.

"Sakura you alright?" Naruto asked his acute senses of the girl being a bit depressed on the subject being kicked in, he had seen this many times with sasuke's rejections so it was almost a second nature. "I am sorry.." It was a whisper at most and Naruto only raised a eyebrow at that, "What do you have to be sorry for? It's just a bottle of sake."

Naruto chuckled and soon got a clear and almost sad look from the girl but a smile softly spread on her lips. "Not for that Naruto..jeez I think if Kakashi gave it and left its his deal...I am talking about not visiting.." The thought back to that Naruto's once and forever known mask made him smile once more. "Hey you where busy with the others, Kakashi and the others came by so no worries."

Naruto was playing it off as he turned back to the pound and smiled before handing the sake bottle to the surprised pink konochi. "Here I think I had enough any ways." She took the bottle with two hands and looked at Naruto his face was calm and his eyes seemed in thought as they searched either his mind or the water of the pound.

"Really Naruto I mean it, I am so sorry I didn't visit like the others I-I just.."

Naruto raised a hand and looked over and gave Sakura a knowing look the same look he gave her when she had begged him to get sasuke back he was just missing the thumbs up. "Hey, I said dont worry about it Sakura you were busy and its okay its just one time right and hell your still here right?" He said smiling seeing that she was still able to see him.

She only took a deep breath and gulped down to mouthful's of the sake and put it down on the concrete trail and sighed taking in the slight burning sensation of the drink. Naruto wondered if he should tell her that he was leaving probably never see each other again be the last time if he left when the toad sage got back.

It was than Naruto realized that no matter what, he thought this looking at Sakura as well. That if he was going to make a sacrifice like this it was for the people he had grown so found of. Sakura, shikimaru, Kakashi and all the rest...it was clear than that their lives mattered not his not at that moment. "Hey Sakura I want you to do something for me if you dont mind?"

The question made the girl perk up as she nodded wanting to do something to take back what she did she was up for it. "I want you to go to my favorite Ramen shop which I know you are probably sick of, but go their and." Naruto put his hands around behind his neck and undid the necklace that he had won from tsunade and smiled.

"Give this to the waitress Ayame okay, tell her Naruto sent it and that he hopes that the old man wins that tournament for best food."

The request made Sakura turn a look at him in surprise a gift like this wasn't given to just anybody she looked at the crystal and her eyes widened and she went back to ask why but Naruto was gone. Her eyes only got larger at his silent escape she clenched the necklace and sighed and walked out of the hospital and to the main food spot that she knew all to well.

* * *

Naruto walked slowly back to his room limping so at the fact of his hidden escape he had opened the door to see the toad sage looking out the window. The man's white hair long and reaching to his hips and the large scroll hanging there was all to familiar to the blonde. "Hey pervy-sage." Naruto mumbled as he walked to his bed and got a small hmn.

"So where were you?"

Naruto only smiled as he shook his head, "Just saying my goodbyes.." He was given a shocked look and then a morbid smile than a nod. "So we leave first thing next two days.." Naruto nodded and looked out the window for once he was content with not being the Hokage.

_"Guess being the hero isn't always the easy choice..."_

**THE END:**

I really hope you guys enjoyed this and sorry for any grammar errors or spelling I am a little to hyped to publish this to check so again so sorry.


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